Lovely Eyes
by L.P. Matthews
Summary: Things have been quiet for the Senshi since the defeat of Galaxia, but a new evil is threatening the peaceful calm. Minako and Rei have always had a close relationship, but with new feelings and flashes of past lives, could it grow into something more?
1. Visions

Dawn is breaking and a flame roars in the mediation room of the Hikawa Shrine. A young miko kneels before the great fire deep in concentration, trying to interpret the visions she is seeing through her mind's eye. The image is a familiar one of the lunar landscape and Silver Millennium kingdom. The palace is shining and radiant, untouched by anything that would threaten its beauty. _The past_, she thinks. _Before the fall. Before the destruction._

Rei is standing in a courtyard of the inner palace alone, but she is waiting for someone. She sits down on the edge of a fountain and looks up at the night sky. _The Earth is so bright and beautiful tonight_. It's so quiet and peaceful here in the inner garden, for a moment she forgets about the whispers of a growing threat that have been creeping through the Lunar Court. There were rumors of unexplained attacks happening in the outer planets, and she knew for a fact several transport vessels had mysteriously vanished near Terran space ports. In her own dreams the princess of Mars had a growing sense of unease. _Something evil is going to reveal itself soon. _Still gazing at the Earth, she frowns and knits her brow as she tries to think of anything that could offer an explanation on this possible menace.

"I know the Earth's bright tonight, but don't stare too hard with your lovely eyes or you'll give yourself a headache," she hears behind her.

A smile comes to Rei's lips as she turns her head away from the Earth and faces the voice. Minako, the leader of the senshi, has just stepped into the courtyard and Rei feels a warmth spreading through her chest as she looks at her fellow comrade.

"You're right, my attention would be much better spent closer to the moon".

The golden senshi smiles and starts walking toward the flame priestess. Rei stands with her arms out ready to embrace Minako as she walks towards her when suddenly the vision shifts.

She's no longer in the Silver Millennium but in modern day Tokyo. Youma are all over the place and the sky is black with a great tear ripped down the middle of it. People are running everywhere trying to get away from the monsters that are ravaging the streets. Screams fill the night air as bystanders are taken down by the raging monsters. Rei notices a dark mist that is quickly creeping over the landscape. She's frozen where she stands as the evil fog envelopes everyone it touches and it slowly comes for her. She tries to move, to scream, to do anything but she can't seem to budge. The fog is almost upon her when she is suddenly snapped out of the vision.

Rei is kneeling in the Fire Room and the great flame has gone out. She's covered in a layer of sweat and panting from the visions she just witnessed. She sits back on her heels and takes a few deep breaths to try and slow her racing pulse. Once she's calmed down enough, Rei tries to understand what the omens mean.

_One of the past and one of the future? The one with Minako was definitely a memory of the Silver Millennium, but the other felt more like a premonition. A warning of something that's coming. _It wasn't the first time Rei had insight into danger that the senshi would soon have to face. The most recent had been about a month ago right before they had faced Galaxia. _And then had to come back from the dead._

A shudder runs through her body as the raven haired miko thinks about their greatest enemy. She had spent her last moments on the rooftop of the Juuban high school with Minako before they had been killed by Galaxia. Sailor Moon had eventually defeated the Chaos and all the fallen senshi had been restored. _But still_, she thought, _it takes a while to get over the being dead and being resurrected part. _They all had way too much experience in that departmentas far she was concerned.

_Minako. _Rei smiled when she thought about the leader of the senshi. It's true she'd had a growing affection for her best friend for sometime now. Even before Galaxia, she had always enjoyed the other girl's company the most out of all of her friends. So many things in her daily life required duty or sacrifice that Rei tended to have the most stoic personality of the Inner senshi. Between her life as a shrine priestess, her visions, the absence of her father, and attending a different school from her friends, there had always been a weight on her mind and heart. Things had gotten better over the years for her though as she embraced her place as a guardian of the Moon Princess and her destiny as Sailor Mars.

Rei thoughts then drifted to her four closest friends, all of whom she trusts with her whole being. Usagi can be such a spaz brain and crybaby sometimes, but she holds nothing but love in her heart for her friends and Rei has a deep affection for the girl. She would give her life to protect her princess and would be loyal to her for as long as she lived.

Ami is not only the most intelligent, but she is also very sweet and surprisingly empathetic. She can always pick up on when someone needs their space or if what they really need is for someone to talk to. Makoto is the strongest of the group. Not only physically, but she has a great inner strength as well. The tall brunette has lived on her own for many years and practically raised herself. Her parents died when she was young and Makoto was left all alone. But the most endearing quality about her is that she shows no bitterness towards any of it. If anything she loves taking care of other people more because of the hardships she's faced. _That's why she's such a great gardener and cook_. _Her cookies are pretty much life changing_ Rei chuckles to herself. And then there's Minako.

Rei can't help but smile as she thinks about the last member of the Inner Senshi. The warrior from Venus was probably a little bit of all of them if she thought about it. Bubbly and sometimes spazzy, empathetic, strong from her time alone as Sailor V. She could come across as a complete boy crazy, idol chasing typical teenager and like a switch be the completely determined and no-nonsense leader. The raven haired miko thought about all the strength Minako brought to their team and how she brought out the best in her as well.

Minako was very affectionate towards people she cared about the most. Always giving compliments, touches and hugs, coming up with "love schemes" and plans to set up each single member of the group. The two had always had a strong connection since the time they first met, but lately it felt like her feelings for Minako were growing into something more. Her mind flashed to just the other day when everyone had come over to study after school like usual.

_They were all sitting around the table, Ami helping Usagi who was whining and struggling with her math sets, Makoto following along and working her own problems, and Minako had her head in Rei's lap as she read her poetry book for literature. _

_"Rei?" _

_"Yes Minako?" _

_"Your eyes look so lovely today" _

_Blushing, "thanks Minako" _

_"No problem. Say….since your eyes are so lovely, we wouldn't want them to get all blood shot from reading too much! Why don't we all take a break and go outside for a while?"_

_ "Minako," Ami warned, "we have very important tests coming up soon! We have to study hard if we all expect to move on to the next grade!"._

_ "Ok, ok, I was just saying…"._

_ Rei smiled a little and found herself absent mindedly running her fingers through the blonde's hair who was still laying in her lap. Minako closed her eyes for a minute and sighed contently. "Your eyes really do look lovely Rei," she whispered, "I wasn't just saying that". _

Rei sighed as she opened her violet eyes in the fire room and got up to finish the rest of her chores before school. As she started to walk to the TA Academy dressed in her school uniform, her mind drifted back to Minako. _Your lovely eyes._ She smiled as she headed down the stairs of the Shrine and towards the bus stop.


	2. New Player

"Ok, now what would your next step be Usagi?"

"Umm, add two to both sides of the equation?"

"Close, but you don't want to add, you want to multiply both sides by the square root of two and that will get rid of the root on the bottom."

"Oh I'm never going to get this… Hey Makoto, do you have any more of those cookies?"

"Sure Usagi."

Rei chuckles as she regards her friends sitting around her. "You know Usagi, if you keep stuffing all those cookies down your mouth, we're going to have to roll you out of here."

"Oh Rei, you're so mean! Maybe you should eat some more yourself and maybe they'll finally sweeten you up."

"Oh whatever. And I already had a few for your information!"

"I guess it didn't work then."

"Alright, alright, girls why don't we get back to the books eh?"

"Yeah good idea Makoto."

Rei buries her face behind her book and tries to keep her smile hidden from the others. Usagi's sloth like tendencies used to grate on her nerves more than anything, but over the years she'd gotten used to them for the most part. Still it did push her buttons sometimes. She also liked to tease the girl from time to time and Usagi always made a big fuss over it. _Of course that was part of the fun in it,_ Rei mused.

"Hey meatball head, save some cookies for when Minako gets here. I'm sure she'd like some too."

"I am! There's still plenty left Rei."

"When does she get done with volleyball practice today?" Ami asked.

"I talked to her yesterday and she said she'll probably get over here around 4:30," Rei replied.

A flutter filled her stomach when she started talking about Minako. The raven-haired girl once again ducked her face behind her book so her friends wouldn't be able to see her. She pretended to be immersed in her literature assignment, when she was really daydreaming about Minako. Her thoughts flitted back to the visions she'd had that morning of the two of them in the Silver Millennium. It wasn't the first time she had a few flashes of her past life and of her and Minako.

_We had a relationship in the past I think. That's the impression I get anyway. We seemed happy. Does anyone else remember? Did anyone else know? What does Minako remember I wonder? What are her feelings now? _Rei had so many questions bouncing around in her head. Her feelings for the leader of the senshi had been growing for some time now. She felt like they had a connection, but she couldn't be sure if Minako reciprocated the same feelings. She wondered if her affection for the blonde is what started triggering the past memories. She wanted to talk to Minako about her feelings, but the thought also terrified her. _What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if it ruins our friendship? What will everyone else think when they find out? _All these thoughts circulated through Rei's head as she tried to sort out her feelings.

_Would this affect my commitment to my duty?_ That was probably the most important question of all. Rei sighed as she tried to push her feelings to the back of her mind and went back to her studying.

* * *

"Good practice everybody! See ya tomorrow!" Minako called to her teammates as she left the gym. _Should I take the bus or walk to Rei's? This time of day the traffic will probably make it faster to walk._ The blonde set off at a brisk pace in the direction of the Hikawa Shrine. Her stomach growled and she hoped that Makoto had made some snacks for their study session today. _I hope Usagi didn't eat them all if she has _Minako laughed. _Rei always makes sure there's some left for me though. _

The golden senshi smiled as she thought about her violet-eyed friend. _I wonder when she'll figure out that I'm in love with her. _Minako had been smitten by Rei for a long time now.

Minako had always been an idol chasing fangirl, and talked about finding epic loves for herself and her friends. She'd had too many crushes to count, much to the dismay of her guardian Artemis. But the truth was that none of those infatuations really mattered to her.

When she had finally joined up with the rest of the senshi years ago, there had been an instant spark between the two. The Sailor Solider of Mars' beauty had been breath-taking Minako remembered. _Still is _she thought. Sailor Mars had a quiet strength about her, but underneath her calm exterior was a fierce temper. The fire senshi was loyal, passionate, and extremely bright.

Minako had been on her own for a very long time as Sailor V and she was happy to have finally been reunited with the rest of the team. The other girls had been extremely welcoming and eager for her to be a member of the group.

Most of Minako's old memories had returned to her when she had been fully activated as Sailor Venus, but the ones of she and Mars in the past didn't come until a while later. She had already developed feelings for Rei when she started dreaming every night about the Silver Millennium. Minako had yet to mention her dreams to anyone, even Artemis. After about a month of the dreams though, she had finally confided in her companion about it and asked him if he remembered anything about the two of them. Artemis had been very open with her about the past Venus and Mars.

_You two were together the year leading up to the end of the Silver Millennium. You had grown very close in your time as part of Princess Serenity's guard, and it was no big surprise to the rest of us when you finally announced you were together. Everyone was very happy for you and the Queen even gave her blessing of your relationship. Luna and I had some trepidation at first because we worried your relationship may impact your duty to the princess or endanger each other's judgment in a battle. Your priorities as sailor soldiers always came first though and if anything I think it made you both stronger. _

Minako was glad to hear this from Artemis and she made him promise not to mention anything about her feelings for Rei to anyone, not even Luna. He understood and had kept it to himself all this time.

Minako did not want Rei to feel pressured into anything because of a relationship the two had in their past lives. _We are not them anymore. I can't expect the same thing to happen in this life as well. If she does want me, I want it to be Rei Hino of this Earth, not Princess Mars of the Silver Millennium. _So the blonde had kept her feelings a secret and pretended to be the idol chasing, boy crazy fangirl.

She had started to suspect that maybe Rei was starting to feel something towards her recently. Minako caught the miko staring at her out of the corner of her eye and turning away quickly when she thought the blonde was about to catch her. Rei never missed one of her volleyball games and always saved her a seat at the table. They talked almost everyday and spent the night at each other's houses constantly. Mianko smiled and felt a lightness in her heart when she thought about this. _I think she's coming around to the idea of it. Knowing Rei though, it'll take her a while to come to terms with her feelings and to finally share them with me._

Rei had very deep feelings for those she cared about, but she was terrible at letting people in and sharing her feelings with them. All of the girls knew this about her from being friends for so long. Minako had started giving Rei more affection and being a little flirty when she was around her. She hoped the raven-haired beauty was getting the hint about the blonde's feelings towards her. _For a girl with foresight, she can be pretty blind though _Minako chuckled. _I'm not in a hurry. _She thought about Crystal Tokyo and the future: _We have forever after all._

Minako was about two blocks from the Hikawa Shrine when she was snapped out of her musings by a sudden sense of foreboding. She felt the hairs stick up on the back of her neck as she stopped and looked around for anything that was out of the ordinary. There were a few people on the opposite sidewalk and a woman talking on her cell phone walking towards her. There was hardly any traffic on this street and the apartments around her seemed to be all in order.

Suddenly a giant gray youma with long claws and the face of a bear came crashing out of an alley between two buildings in front of her. She quickly raced towards the woman on her cell phone and tackled her out of the way of the raging monster. Minako crashed into the woman and landed hard on her left side as the youma took a swipe at where she had just been standing. "Run!" she shouted at the lady. The woman screamed as she scrambled to her feet and ran in the opposite direction. The pedestrians on the opposite sidewalk had also scattered, leaving her all alone with the monster on the street. Minako glanced down at the communicator on her wrist, but it had been busted when she had fallen on her side. _Guess I'll just have to handle this myself then._

"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

A quick flash of light and Sailor Venus stood in front of the monster, poised to attack. "I don't know where you came from ugly, but this is my town and you are about to find out what happens to those that threaten it! In the name of Venus, you are going down!"

The monster roared at the golden senshi and dropped to all fours as it charged straight towards her. Venus quickly jumped to the side and simultaneously struck out with the chain around her waist as the youma raged by."Love me chain!" The attack grazed the monsters back haunch but did not slow the beast down. _That thick fur looks like it's going to be hard to penetrate _Venus thought. The youma rounded on her and stood up on its back legs as it suddenly fired a thick green liquid at the sailor solider. Venus barely jumped out of the way as the liquid sprayed all over the car behind where she had been standing. The metal on the car instantly corroded and melted away as the monsters attack made contact with it. _Oh great, it spits acid too._

The monsters charged at Sailor Venus again and she managed to dodge its acid spray but the monster swung it's massive paw and its claws grazed her shoulder.

"Argh, ok that one hurt," she mumbled as she grabbed her shoulder. She didn't think the wound was too deep and she quickly got her head back in the battle. _I need to end this._

Venus started zigzagging as she ran towards the youma, dodging its acid spray as she tried to close the distance. _It's fur is too thick everywhere to do any real damage, but its face looks thinner. I need to get some leverage and strike it quick before it can blast me with acid. _Venus was about ten feet from the monster when she jumped onto a bench and vaulted up onto the gate of a near by apartment building. "Love and Beauty Shock!" Sailor Venus leaped off the wall towards her opponent and scored a direct hit on the youma's face as she unleashed her attack. The monster roared and fell backwards onto the concrete. The youma lay on its back and didn't move. Venus cautiously started to approach the monster when it suddenly dissolved into deep black-purple smoke. _Well that's a new one. Haven't seen them disappear like that before. _

Venus looked around but there was no other trace of the monster. _I need to tell the others about this right away. Looks like a new player may be in town._ She de-transformed back to her civilian form and gathered up her school bags. Without her senshi powers, Minako instantly felt the exhaustion of the battle. Her shoulder was still bleeding and she had managed to get burned on her thigh by the acid. _Stupid monster, looks like it got me a little bit._ Luckily she was only two blocks from the shrine. Fueled by the adrenaline from the battle, Minako limped as quickly as she could towards the Hikawa Shrine and her friends.


	3. Patch Up and Button Ups

Rei's leg was bouncing up and down under the table as she tried to concentrate on her reading and not think about the time. She glanced at the clock again, trying not to get worked up over the fact that Minako was still not there yet. _It's almost 5:00, Mina said she would be here by 4:30 at the latest. It's not like her to be this late. Usagi sure. You can always count on her to be behind, but Minako's normally on time. _Rei looked back down to the page she had been trying to read for the last fifteen minutes and sighed. Ami, Usagi, and Makoto were still working on their math homework across the table from her._ Oh why am I getting my panties all in a twist about this? She probably just stayed a little later at practice, that's all _Rei told herself.

She was pretty sure it wasn't just concern that was making her anxious to see Minako. Rei had been daydreaming about her blonde friend all day since the memory of the Silver Millennium. She imagined holding Minako's hand and running her fingers through that long, beautiful hair. Rei could feel a grin tugging at the corner of her lips and she hoped the others wouldn't notice. _Hopefully she'll get here soon. _

Just then Rei heard someone come in through the front door followed by the sound of bags being dropped on the floor. "…guys? You still here?" Minako's voice softly called from the foyer.

"In here V-babe! We're still studying away," Usagi replied.

Rei lay her book down on the table and smiled as she saw Minako coming around the corner. Her violet eyes locked on the leader of the senshi as she walked into the room but the smile vanished from her face as she realized something was wrong.

"Mina! Are you alright? What happened?" she asked, her voice tense with emotion. Rei felt a tightness in her chest as she jumped up from the table and ran over to where her friend was standing.

Minako had a pained expression on her face and the blonde's normally lustrous hair looked completely disheveled. She was bent over, favoring her left shoulder and Rei also thought there was a limp in her walk. The other girls turned around from the table at the miko's outburst and started to get up too. Rei reached Minako and put her hand under her friend's right arm to offer some support.

"I was on my way here when I was attacked by a youma," Minako replied.

"What!?" Usagi gasped. Ami grabbed a chair and offered it to her injured friend.

"Here Minako, sit down and we'll get you fixed up. Rei, is the first aid kit still in the bathroom?" she asked calmly.

"Yeah, in the closet. Third shelf."

Ami nodded and turned to retrieve the kit from the bathroom.

About a year ago she had given each of the girls one to keep in their homes. The hazards of their jobs as guardians of the Earth meant they often had to be patched up from the fights and battles they got themselves into. Ami's mother was a doctor and she was able to get some extra supplies that are usually hard to come by outside of a hospital.

Rei and Makoto helped Minako sit down in the chair while Usagi went to grab her a glass of water. Rei's eyes were smoldering as she kneeled down beside her best friend. She was furious that a monster had managed to harm her. The violet eyed beauty took Minako's hand and reached up to brush some of the blonde hair away from her face. The golden senshi closed her eyes for a second and leaned her cheek into Rei's touch. The miko let her hand linger as Minako's lips lightly brushed her fingertips. She felt a tingle run through her arm and appreciated the softness of her skin. Minako slowly opened her eyes and offered Rei a tired smile.

Ami came back into the room with the first aid kit in tow and opened it as she set it down on the table. "Ok Minako, what's hurt and tell us what happened with the youma." She took a big drink of the water Usagi had just handed her before she started in on the explanation.

"My leg and my shoulder," she told Ami. "I was a few streets over when the thing charged out of an alleyway. It looked kind of like a giant gray bear with long claws. And it shot acid out of its mouth. I think it got me a little bit on my leg." She pulled the end of her school skirt up to reveal a nasty looking burn about half way up her thigh. "Just a little bit?" Usagi cried. An angry red blister about the size of a softball marred the otherwise flawless skin of the senshi's leg. "Yeah well I was lucky, you should have seen what was left of the car that got a full hit of the stuff." Rei shuddered at the thought.

"Mina, why didn't you call us?" she asked. "I was going to but my communicator got smashed when I had to tackle a civilian out of the way. It all happened so fast I didn't have time to do anything but try and fight it myself."

Rei felt her temper starting to rise. _I don't know if I'm upset that she fought that monster off by herself without backup or that she had no other choice. _Rei turned her face away for a second and closed her eyes when she felt a squeeze in her hand. She knew it was Minako saying _please don't be mad. _She sighed and the blonde continued her story.

"So it had this really thick fur that was deflecting all my attacks, but I noticed its face was vulnerable. I managed to score a direct hit there and it went down hard. The weird part was that it dissolved into this really thick dark smoke."

"What's weird about that?" Makoto asked. "Don't most of the monsters we defeat turn into smoke?"

"I guess that's true, but this was more like a cloud or fog. It lingered for a bit before it fully dissipated," Minako replied.

Rei suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered her vision from the morning. _A dark fog creeping over the land consuming everything it touches. _

"You didn't touch the smoke did you?" Ami asked.

"No I figured that would be a bad idea."

Ami had finished cleaning out the burn on Minako's leg and was applying a salve that would help with the pain. She wrapped it up with a bandage and turned to take a look at her shoulder. "Ok take your shirt off so I can look at the wound."

Minako nodded and sat up in her seat. Makoto went to go shut the doors to Rei's room incase her grandfather or Yuichiro happened to walk by. Rei stood to help her friend with the shirt. Minako's winced as she pulled her injured arm through the sleeve and over her head. Blood had soaked into the school uniform and the tank top Minako had on underneath. Ami and Rei each made a disapproving face as they looked at the marks on the senshi's shoulder. While the cuts weren't too deep, they ran from her collarbone to the bottom of her shoulder blade.

"How bad does it look? It grazed me with those stupid claws it had," the blonde grumbled. "It's really not that bad Minako, but it is going to take a few days to heal," Ami replied.

"Lucky we have that accelerated senshi healing power though," Makoto piped in.

"Yeah you'll be good as new in no time," Usagi added.

Rei didn't say anything but went back to holding Minako's hand while Ami started cleaning out the gashes. She could tell it hurt a lot more than the leader of the senshi was to trying let on as she noticed her bitting her lip and occasionally wincing. Rei gave her hand an encouraging squeeze and felt a return in the pressure. Ami finished cleaning out the claw marks with a swab and applied a few Steri-Strips to keep it closed. She covered the area with a fresh bandage and wrapped it around Minako's upper body.

"All done. How do you feel now?"

"Thanks Ami, it feels fine I guess."

"Well that should do until tomorrow, I'll come by your house in the morning and we can change the bandage before school."

"Ok sounds like a plan. I'll tell my mom you're coming over to borrow some clothes or something. She'd never let me out of the house if she knew otherwise," Minako said bitterly. Rei knew that Minako's mother was a sore subject. She was very critical of her daughter and the two were constantly butting heads. Minako waved it off but Rei knew it bothered her more than she let on.

"Let me have your communicator too," Ami said. "I'll fix it tonight and give it back to you tomorrow."

"Ok thanks Ami!"

"We'd be a total mess if we didn't have you around Ami," Makoto chimed in.

Ami blushed the tiniest bit at Makoto's compliment as she took the broken communicator.

"Hey, so Mamoru is in town for fall break this week! I'm going to call him and see if he can come pick us up so you don't have to try and walk home on your leg Minako."

"Ok thanks Usagi, that would be great if he doesn't mind."

"Of course not! I'm sure he'll be happy to help"

Rei picked up Minako's uniform shirt and handed it back to her. "Oh great some blood soaked through. I don't know how I'll explain this to my mother," Minako sighed.

"Here give it to me, I'll wash it and give it back to you later."

"Oh Rei, you don't have to do that!"

"I want to, now give it here."

"Thanks Rei, you're the best." Minako reached out and with her good arm and gave Rei a hug. Rei smiled as she returned the embrace.

"Here Mina, come over to my closet and let me give you another shirt to wear home."

"Yeah, I guess this tank top shows a bit too much skin for this time of year don't you think Rei?" Minako asked with a glint in her eye. Rei's cheeks started to turn red as she looked the blonde over and then quickly turned her head away.

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess…" Rei stammered. She looked up to see if the others had noticed anything, but everyone was occupied elsewhere. Usagi had gone out front to wait for Mamoru while Ami and Makoto were chatting as they cleaned up the first aid kit.

Rei lead Minako over to her closet and handed her a royal blue blouse. "Here, you should wear this button up that way you don't have to lift your shoulder."

"Thanks Rei, that's so thoughtful," Mianko smiled. "Will you help me put it on?"

Rei felt a flutter in her chest as she moved forward to help Minako with the blue shirt. She tried her best to be careful with her injured arm as she pulled the sleeve up over the bandages. Minako winced a little but didn't say anything. She pulled her right arm through the other sleeve and started to button up the front.

Before she had time to reconsider what she was doing, Rei had grabbed Minako's hands and stopped her from buttoning up the shirt. A look of surprise flashed across the blonde's face as Rei started slowly buttoning up the shirt herself. She stepped in closer to Minako and felt her pulse starting to race. She could feel Minako's eyes on her but she did not look up from the shirt yet. Rei left the top button undone and traced her fingertip lightly over the skin that was showing just bellow the collar. Minako reached forward, placing her hands on Rei's hips and gently pulled her closer until they were pressed against each other. Rei felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest as she looked up into Minako's eyes. She searched the other girl's face as she felt a growing fire in her belly. She looked at her lips and had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. She started to lean towards Minako when Usagi suddenly came running in through the front door.

"Alright everybody! Mamoru's here to pick us up!"

Rei felt herself go scarlet as she quickly pulled away from Minako and turned towards her dresser.

"V-babe we grabbed your bags, so whenever you're ready we'll head out."

"Ok thanks Usagi," she heard behind her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and Minako came up beside her. "Rei? Are you alright?" she heard her whisper. Rei screwed up her eyes for a second before she turned to face her best friend. She tried her best to keep her face looking neutral as possible as she turned towards Minako.

"Of course! Come on let's get you out to the car so you can go home and get some rest."

Minako's eyes were laced with concern as she held Rei's gaze. The blonde blinked a few times before she gave Rei a somber smile and reached out to squeeze her hand. "Ok. I'm here when you're ready," she whispered. Minako let go of Rei's hand and started walking towards the others. Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned to follow everyone out the door.

She walked them all to the front gates and waited until they had piled into Mamoru's car. Minako and Usagi said they would talk to Artemis and Luna about the monster and start trying to figure out if a new big bad was in town. Rei had decided to keep quiet about her visions from the fire for now. The miko felt like she needed more time to interpret the images and didn't want to worry anyone just yet. She waved to them as they drove away and locked the gates to the shrine.

The fire senshi let out a long breath as she turned to head back inside. _Well this has been quite the day, that's for sure. _Rei felt exhausted as she entered her room and closed the door. The highs and lows her emotions had been put through that day had left her feeling drained. She turned her stereo on and lay down on her bed. She closed her eyes and tried to sort through the memories from the day, especially the one's concerning Minako and what almost happened between them. As music filled the bedroom, a small smile crept onto the face of the sailor solider of Mars.

* * *

Author's Notes: Whoo hoo! another chapter! How about Usagi's terrible timing? Looks like Minako and Rei are going to have a lot to discuss in the near future...

I got to thinking about the monster turning into smoke and Minako's reaction in the last chapter about how it seemed different. I hoped I clarified in this chapter that it is more of a fog that was left (linking to Rei's vision) than just regular old smoke, because let's face it, that's what happens to most of those pesky critters when our favorite girls dust them.

Speaking of Rei, I'm really enjoying writing her. I didn't realize that (in this story anyway) Rei's thought process and how she deals with her feelings would be so similar to the way I do, especially when I was in high school. She internalizes her emotions and isn't the best at sharing, so her thoughts can tend to take on a life of there own. Minako I feel like has come to terms with her self and is more open to talking it through (like confiding in Artemis). I love these two, and I have some really sweet stuff planned for them coming up soon!

Mamoru is off at college in America during this time, so that's why Usagi was saying he's in town. There were some hinting at a little bit of Ami/Makoto pairing in this chapter :) I haven't decided yet if I want to have them get together in this story or just imply that there is a mutual attraction there. I also may or may not bring in the Outers. I love them dearly, but I kind of like this being more of a small ensemble story. If you guys have any preferences or comments, please let me know!

Thanks everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story so far!


	4. Center

_Flashback_:

"Reports are coming in of attacks all along the Outer Rim. Everyday transports are going missing on their way from Neptune and Uranus, and now villages on the surface are being overrun as well! This is clearly no longer a fabrication or old wives tale, as you put it last time I brought up this discussion. We need to investigate this growing threat and start preparing the Kingdom against attack!" Minako shouted at Queen Serenity and the rest of the Silver Millennium Council.

The leader of the senshi could feel her blood pressure rising as she knew her call for action was once again falling on deaf ears. The Queen listened to her attentively but most of the other planetary representatives seemed bored or in disbelief at her claims. They loved living in their perfect bubble of peace and would deny anything that would oppose it.

"Sailor Venus, we have been listening to you go on about some great evil for the past few months, but what has really happened? Trade is booming, crime is at an all time low, and interplanetary relations have never been better! Why should we believe these 'visions of doom' of some Martian fortune teller over hard facts anyway?" the representative of Earth cracked.

Minako snapped her eyes around to face the screen the woman was being projected from. _She better be glad she's 200,000 miles away right now or I would knock her face in._

"Representative Beryl, the Martian seers are well renowned throughout history in their ability to predict the future." the Prince of Mars interjected.

"Yes, but there have only been a few _true_ seers on record that have actually predicted major events that have come to fruition. The last true seer was confirmed what, 300 years ago? The trait probably died out generations back. What gives this girl any credibility other than she's of royal blood?" Beryl replied.

"My sister has spent her entire life training as a warrior and priestess in The Order of Ares. Her advice is welcomed and trusted among the Martian people," the prince replied.

"Minako, I know as her commander you are probably a bit biased towards believing in Sailor Mars..." her mother, the Queen of Venus started to add.

"She's a prodigy and I trust her with my life. The Queen obviously trusts her with the life of her daughter, Princess Serenity, so why shouldn't we all trust her with the lives of the entire Silver Millennium?" Minako stated. A smirk crossed the face of the red-haired woman of Earth as she looked at the blonde with contempt in her eyes.

"Right, just like Venusians have empathic abilities and Jovians can sense when a storm is coming? So can my grandmother when her knees ache. Where are the facts? I don't care if she's spends eternity under the tutelage of those heralds of doom. They're always carrying on that the end is coming. If I recall, the _last_ apocalypse predicted by the Order was suppose to happen eighteen months. But somehow we're still here," Beryl snidely replied.

Minako felt her blood boiling as she stared down the woman facing her on the screen. "Ok well if you want facts, Sailor Mercury has been monitoring the missing vessels in the Outer Rim for the past few months. Over 20 ships have gone missing in the last eight weeks alone," Minako replied coolly.

"My sources have told me that there have been a higher number of asteroids in the outer belts for some time now. Probably ships are being caught in the asteroid fields and are unable to safely navigate through. Space is a dangerous place after all." Beryl said in retort.

"We have seen a larger number of meteor showers than usual over the past few months, it could be in relation to increase in asteroid activity," the king of Jupiter added.

"Are your people blind? Does evil have to knock on your door and announce itself to you face to face before you finally acknowledge it?" Venus replied in an exasperated voice.

The Queen finally decided she had heard all she needed to of the arguments among her council. "Enough." The room was silent as Venus and the council from their screens faced the ruler of the Moon Kingdom. "I have heard all of your advice and I believe this issue has some merit. We will send a small unit to the outer planets to assess if there is indeed some kind of situation. Venus, you can send word to Princess Haruka to be expecting a team from the Moon."

"Your majesty, I don't think..."

"Beryl, I have decided," the Queen cut her off. "I hope that you are right that there is nothing to worry about, but I fear our period of peace may be coming to an end. Thank you all for your council and we will convene again on this matter in a few weeks."

The screens blinked out one by one with the close of the meeting. Minako gave the representative of Earth a very smug smirk before she could sign off. Beryl narrowed her eyes and Minako knew this would not be the last time the two would be at odds with each other. She turned to face the Queen who had risen from her seat and was walking towards her.

"Thank you, your majesty, for believing us. I know in my heart Rei is on to something. With your permission, I would request to be a part of the investigation team."

"Venus, you have done a fine job getting this issue pushed through, but I will have to ask that you remain here on the Moon. Your duty is first and foremost to protect the princess and lead the senshi. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune will be able to assist in the investigation in the Outer Rim and your time will be better spent here," she said kindly, but firmly. Minako knew there would be no arguing the point any further. She bowed politely to the Queen and turned to exit the council chambers.

Minako's temper flared back up as she marched down the halls towards her quarters. _That blasted Terran woman! Insulting Rei like that! If I could have just five minutes alone with her along with my sword and chain… _Minako was fuming as she cut across the courtyard in front of the outer wall of the castle. She looked up along the turrets to make sure the guards were all patrolling along the castle's defenses. _And that jab at me about my empathic abilities? She has no idea what it's like to have to feel the emotions of everyone around you all the time. _

Empathic abilities were a Venusian royal blood trait. It only appeared every few generations and was said to be a gift from the goddess Aphrodite herself, much like the Martian seers abilities were suppose to be derived from Ares. Minako had shown signs of the gift as a young child, being able to tell the mood and emotions of anyone she came into contact with. She could also project some of her emotions on to other people if she wished. She used this most often to calm down her father or Artemis when she was getting in trouble and being yelled at. Her powers had always been limited to having to be in close proximity to a person for them to work, but when the queen had bestowed the senshi powers on her at age 14, the empathic ability grew exponentially.

It started out increasing slowly. She went from feeling people in the next room to someone down the hall. After a few days the assault of emotions on her mind became overwhelming as she could feel every person in the castle. She could feel ever person's happiness, doubts, sadness, but most of all she felt the pain. She could hardly control the onslaught and she eventually fled to the most remote garden in the castle to try and get away from the unwanted people in her mind and in her heart.

She was huddled in a corner of the garden sobbing with her arms braced against her head, as she tried to block everything out when Rei found her. They had become close friends over the last six months from living and training together in the palace. Minako hadn't shown up for breakfast or morning training that day. Rei had sensed something was wrong so she went looking for her.

"Mina? Are your alright? Can you hear me?" Rei said as she slowly approached her friend.

"Stay back!" Minako shouted startling Rei. "I...I don't think I can take this. It's too much." she whispered.

"What is it?" Rei asked gently. She stayed where she was like Minako had asked.

"The empathy link, I can feel everyone in the palace and I can't stop the emotions! It hurts so much. I don't want to feel anymore." Rei understood now what was happening. Minako had told her about her Venusian empathy link, and she suspected it was being heightened with their senshi powers.

"Mina," she said slowly, "I understand what you're going through. When I first started having visions, I wasn't able to control them either. I was curled up in a ball most of the time trying to not let anything in. I tried to shut everything out but all it did was want to rush in. It was so overwhelming; I thought it was going to crush me. One of the priests came to me and told me not to fight it anymore but embrace it. He placed a candle in front of me and told me to focus on the flame and channel all my power, all my pain around that one source. The light became my center and grounded me among the chaos the visions had created. With the flame anchoring me, I was able to interpret the visions and not lose myself among the chaos. That's why I mediate in front of a fire, to keep my center. We just need to find something that's your center."

Minako remembered she was having a hard time focusing on anything, but Rei's voice was somehow cutting through the pain. "I...don't think...a flame…will help me…" she sobbed. "Then focus on me Minako. You said you didn't want to feel. But what is it to be human and not be able to feel anything? Being able to know someone else's emotions, their happiness, their sadness, their hope…and being able to share your own with someone, there's nothing more powerful or influential than that." Rei had walked across the courtyard and was now kneeling in front of Minako.

"Please Mina, don't shut the world out because it hurts. Let it in, because it's worth it to feel something." Rei reached out and took Minako's hand. She cried out in pain and tried to pull away but Rei would not let go. "Please, please…I can't!"

"Yes you can. I know you can't tell one thing from another right now, but just focus on me. Take a deep breath and focus on what I'm feeling right now."

Minako took a shaky breath and tried to reach out to the girl kneeling in front of her. She focused on Rei's hand holding hers and then reached out further. _What is that emotion? Everything is running together so much, I can't tell one thing from another _she thought. Minako tried to focus on one emotion, just pick out one from the din. Then through the blackness of her mind, she was able to pick out the red aura.

_Compassion. _

Rei's feelings of compassion towards her were burning like the flames of the meditation room. Minako latched on to the feeling and let it envelop her as she was able to shut out all the other emotions around her. She slowly felt out for more of Rei's emotions.

_Concern._

_Protectiveness._

_Friendship._

There was also something just out of reach but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. It would be a few years later before Rei even understood what she was feeling for the other girl.

"Love." Minako said to herself as she left the courtyard and started walking towards the senshi's quarters. She remembered how after that experience in the garden she had been able to manage her ability again. Sometimes it still became hard to stay in control and that the world seemed like it was too much. But just as the fire was Rei's center, Rei was her center. _My flame. _

She opened the door to the senshi quarters and transformed back into her civilian form. The four guardians had a wing all to themselves on the princess's floor of the castle. She looked around the common room and saw Rei, Makoto, and Ami sitting on the couches talking to one another. They had been waiting for Minako to return with the report on the council meeting. She felt her spirits pick up as she looked at her closest friends.

"Minako! How'd the council meeting go?" Makoto asked.

"Well, most of them are still sitting too far up on their padded thrones to see the signs of danger, but looks like I was able to convince Queen Serenity. She's going to send a team to the Outer Rim to investigate. I asked her if I could go as a member of the task force, but she said no, my duty was here with the princess."

She sat down on the couch next to Rei letting out a long sigh and took her lover's hand. Rei gave her hand a gentle squeeze and small smile. Minako looked at her and could see the worry etched in her face. She tried to send some reassuring vibes her way.

"Sailor Uranus and Neptune are going to be heading up the investigation. I'm going to call Haruka later and let her know the details."

"Well at least we'll have someone we can count on to give us an honest report." Ami remarked.

"Yeah, if one of us can't go at least it's a fellow senshi. Haruka's the one who's been sending us the info on the attacks anyway so you know she's invested in the matter. Plus she's always ready for a smack down."

"I agree Mako. I've known Haruka and Michuru a long time, we can trust that they'll do their best and be honest with us. I just wish that Serenity would let me go too."

"I'm glad you're not going." Rei said softly.

Minako looked over at her partner and felt the sadness seep into her heart. She knew Rei had been having a hard time dealing with the visions and the darkness they represented. She tossed and turned in her sleep and dark circles were always present under her eyes. Minako would hold her tight during her nightmares and try to protect Rei from the monsters of a future she hoped would never come to be. She could feel Rei's pain when she let her, but couldn't take it away. And that hurt most of all.

"I just hate sitting around doing nothing. At least if I was out there I could be helping to fight whatever evil it is we're facing."

"I know. I just feel better knowing you aren't the one rushing off into the dark. We still really don't know anything about what we're up against." Rei replied.

They shared a long moment looking into one another's eyes, unspoken words and feelings passing between them. Minako saw the fire burning in Rei's violet eyes and knew she would do everything in her power to protect the one she loved. Minako leaned forward and gave Rei a soft kiss on the lips, hoping that she knew how much she loved her.

Minako stayed close to Rei but turned around to face Ami and Makoto. "Ok, well at least we're _finally_ getting someone around here to listen to us. All we can do now is keep our ears to the ground and stay on the look out for anything. Remember our duty first and foremost is to protect Princess Serenity. She's our hope for the future."

The other three nodded and looked at her with firm resolve on their faces. They all loved their princess and knew how high the stakes were.

"By the way, does anyone know anything about the Representative of Earth?"

"Yes, she was elected by the United Earth Parliament to represent the Terran Republic in the Silver Millennium Council two years ago." Ami replied. "She's a noblewoman named Beryl and has gained quite a bit of political power in the last few years. I know she is a member of the Earth King's trusted inner circle. Why do you ask?"

"She was just giving me some serious attitude in the meeting. She tried her best to counter every point I made about why we needed to send out forces to the Outer Rim. She had just about everyone in agreement with her; even my own mother wouldn't listen to me. Your brother stood up for you though Rei."

A smile flashed across Rei's face at this. Her older brother had taken the throne a few years ago when her father had been killed in an earthquake on Earth. Her mother died when she was very young from illness. Because Rei was the second born, she was not expected to rule according to Martian law and had been able to pursue life as a priestess in the Order of Ares. That is until the decree went out by Queen Serenity that the senshi were to be called to the Moon Kingdom. The oldest daughter of each planet's royal line was to come and be trained as a warrior of the Silver Millennium. Their main purpose was to protect Princess Serenity as her guardians and companions. That had been three years ago.

"Hmm, do you think that we should be worried about Beryl, Minako?"

"I'm not sure yet. We definitely should keep a closer eye on her and anyone else from Earth from now on though. See if you can find anything else about what's going on down there Ami."

"I'll do my best commander. Anything else we need to discuss tonight?"

"No I think that covers it for now. I think we could all use some rest. I'm going to go put in the call to Haruka on Uranus and then turn in for the night. I suggest everyone else do the same."

Ami and Makoto stood up and gave each other a knowing grin at Minako's words. They said good night to the two on the couch as they headed down the hall to their rooms.

Minako turned to Rei and wrapped her arms around her lover's chest. She tucked her face in against Rei's neck and nuzzled her lips behind her ear. She closed her eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of incense and firewood that always lingered in the senshi's hair. Rei held her tight as she felt a trace of the stress she carried in her shoulders ease a bit. After a while of just holding each other, Minako pulled back to look at Rei. She felt warmth spread through her chest as she looked into the violet eyes she loved so much. Minako was always in awe of how beautiful she was.

"I guess I need to go call Haruka." Minako said as she smoothed some stray hair behind Rei's ear. Rei reached up to grab her hand and held it against her cheek. She turned and kissed Minako's fingertips one by one and then nuzzled her knuckles with her nose and cheek.

"Yeah I guess as the commander that is your job." Rei whispered as she pulled Minako closer to her.

She ran her fingers through the blonde's hair near her temple and trailed her other hand along Minako's neck and over her shoulders. Her hand continued to travel across her chest and down her side. The golden senshi closed her eyes at Rei's touch and sighed contently at the sensations on her body. Rei reached under Minako's shirt, tracing her hand along the bare skin of her toned back. Minako could feel a stirring in her chest and opened her eyes to look at the woman she loved. She used both her hands to gently push back Rei's hair from her face and leaned into to kiss her. Minako felt a spark in her lips at the first touch that radiated throughout her entire body.

It started out soft and tender, but the earnestness of it quickly escalated as the kiss intensified. Minako felt all the fear and doubt of their surroundings fade away in that moment and all that was left was a deep, burning love. She allowed herself to be lost in the love she had for Rei and Rei was able to do the same. For just a little while, Minako could feel Rei let go of everything she carried as a burden and just be in the moment with her.

After some time, Minako was the first to pull away. She hated that she had to ruin this perfect moment between them, but she knew she still needed to go call Uranus. They were both out of breath as Minako looked up at Rei and smiled. Rei returned her smile and Minako leaned forward to kiss the corner of her mouth. She loved seeing her smiles and wished they weren't so hard to come by these days.

"I really do need to go call Haruka," she sighed, not moving from where she was leaning on Rei's chest.

"I know you need to."

She brushed Rei's bangs away from her eyes. "I love you, you know that? More than anything in this life." Minako said softly.

Rei's eyes burned bright as she pulled Minako in and pressed her lips against hers.

"I love you too," she breathed. "For the rest of this life and every one after that."

Minako pressed her body against Rei's and held on to her as tight as she could. She could feel Rei's heart beating against her chest as she trailed her lips over her collarbone and kissed her neck. Rei weaved her fingers through Minako's hair and tugged lightly as she continued to trail kisses up the corner of her jaw. Minako shifted her weight so she was now sitting across Rei's lap. Rei's free hand slid up and down Minako's leg as her fingernails lightly raked across her skin. Her hand traveled up the interior of her thigh and she skimmed her thumb briefly across the underside of Minako's pants as she moved her hand under her shirt and across her stomach.

Minako's breath hitched as she wound her fists into Rei's hair and felt her desire building. She tugged on Rei's ear lobe with her teeth and felt her lover's knuckles on her hips as she gripped the top of her pants and pulled her closer. She clenched her jaw and pressed her cheek against Rei's as she felt her slowly pulling her shirt up. Minako brushed her lips over Rei's and sat back on her lap. She took Rei's hands in her own as she stopped her from tugging her shirt off. She kissed each knuckle individually before she turned her hands over to kiss each palm.

"As much as I _hate_ to stop what we're doing right now, I really do have to go put in that call to Haruka. I know if I don't go now, I'll never make it there."

Rei gave her a very sly smirk as she rested her head back against the couch. She looked off with a small pout, feigning that her feelings were hurt.

"Oh you.." Minako purred as she shook her head and leaned in to embrace her. Rei turned back to Minako and smiled as she pulled her close.

"I know you need to. You've worked really hard to get the council to approve this. A lot is ridding on the mission," she said.

"It shouldn't take long, I'll be back in thirty minutes at the most." She leaned her head up to give Rei another kiss before she untangled herself from her and the couch. They stood up and Minako pulled Rei into her arms. She held onto her for another good minute before she gave her one last squeeze and let her go.

"Ok, I'll be back in a bit."

"Alright Mina, I'll go start getting ready for bed. If you hurry back, maybe I'll still be awake," she teased.

"Oh you're going to be awake for a while if I have anything to do with it," she growled as she winked to the fire senshi. Minako turned and headed out the door and down to the communications center.

Minako's conversation with Haruka was fairly brief. She filled her in on the meeting with the Council and when to expect the team from the Moon Kingdom. Haruka was very glad to hear that Serenity was finally taking the reports seriously and sending in someone to investigate. Minako stressed to Haruka that she was to find out anything and everything she could about the evil that was spreading through the Outer Rim. "I can't be there myself, so I'm trusting you and Michuru to be my eyes and ears. Just don't do anything stupid if you can help it, Haruka."

"Hey V-babe, when have I _ever_ done something stupid?"

"The sea dragon incident on Neptune, the howler monkey fiasco, kissing the daughter of the Ambassador of Titan, kissing the daughter of…"

"Alright, alright I get it! No need to list out my permanent record, we don't know this line is secure after all."

Minako's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched in all seriousness. "I know Haruka, we don't."

Haruka frowned as she caught on to what Minako was getting at.

"Ok, well you both be careful and keep your eyes open. Keep me informed and we'll talk again soon."

"Got it. See ya soon V."

"Bye Haruka."

Minako rubbed her hands over her eyes and let out a long groan. She had a bad feeling that Haruka and Michuru were heading into some kind of terrible danger, and there was nothing she could do about it because she would be light years away. Minako signed off the computer and left the communications room to head back to the senshi's wing.

As Minako closed the door to the common room, she felt a stab of fear and pain shoot through her so suddenly that she had to grab onto the table next to her keep her knees from buckling. She shook her head to clear her stunned thoughts away when the realization of what it was hit her. She turned and sprinted down the hall to her bedroom and rushed inside. She looked across the room and saw Rei was crouched in front of the fireplace with her hands on her head and her eyes screwed up in pain. Minako raced across the floor and slid to her knees in front of her. She grabbed Rei's arms and tried to coax her back from the vision.

"Rei? It's me, Mina. Can you hear me?"

Rei did not respond to Minako's pleas but continued to rock back and forth on her heels while she whimpered in pain and fear. Minako decided to switch tactics.

She sat down behind Rei and put her arms around her. She pulled Rei down into her lap and closed her eyes as she tried to project as much love and feelings of safety as she could into her partner. She reached across the expanse into Rei's mind and tried to feel for the center of the turbulence. She could feel its pull as she waded through waves of fear, doubt, and failure. She reached out and touched the place in Rei's mind where the darkness lay and was pulled into the vision she was witnessing.

_Death and destruction lay over the land. The Moon Kingdom was in ruins as creatures of shadow tore apart any person still alive that they came across. The sailor soldiers were scattered around the battlefield, bloodied and beaten. Most of them were dead. Princess Serenity lay on the steps of the palace with her eyes open and unseeing, her beautiful white dressed ruined by the red stain over her heart. Rei turned and saw Minako in the distance, still fighting. She battled a monster away from two of Serenity's young handmaids. "Run!" she shouted at them. She wrapped her chain around the monster's head and dodged as it kicked out at her with its legs, but she missed a step on the broken ground and the monster's claws went straight through her chest. _

_"NO!" Rei screamed as she saw her love fall to the ground and lie still. Rei sank to her knees as she stared straight up at the heavens. Darkness completely enveloped the sky except for one great tear that the monsters of the Negaverse were coming through. All was lost. Rei saw Sailor Pluto and a purple sailor soldier she was not familiar with walk out into the middle of the courtyard. "You may now swing your Glaive, Saturn" she heard Pluto say. Rei closed her eyes as she knew the end was here and all that was left was silence._

Minako cried out as she was brought back out of the vision. Tears fell from her eyes as she held on to Rei who had finally stopped shaking. She cradled her love in her arms as she tried her best to find some kind of reassurance after the apocalypse she had just witnessed. The fire had gone out when Rei opened her eyes and looked at Minako with a stricken gaze. Minako kissed Rei's forehead and held her close as she tried to drive out the coldness in her chest. Tears continued to fall as she heard Rei softly plead, "Mina, please save me from the darkness."

Minako felt her heart shatter at her words and she had no idea how to give a comforting answer, so she just continued to hold on.

* * *

Minako gasped as she sat up wide-awake in her bed. The alarm clock on the nightstand said it was 3:30am and moonlight shone through the window in her room. She felt pain in her shoulder where the bandages were tugging at the claw marks on her back. She pulled her legs up and rested her forehead on her knees as she tried to lessen the terrible ache in her chest. The memory of the Silver Millennium had been one of the roughest ones she had experienced in a long time. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes as she tried not to think about the darkness that had destroyed everything in their lives as she curled up on her side and struggled to fall back asleep.

* * *

_Author's notes_: Whoa! That got really angsty really fast. Don't worry about our girl though, things get better.

I wasn't planning for the entire chapter to be a flashback originally, but it just got rolling. I really liked exploring the dynamic between past Mina and Rei. There are many hints and parallels set up in this chapter including some about the big bad.

I also had fun with the Beryl and Mina snark during the council meeting. She's dead as a doornail in the present though, so don't think she's the one behind it.

Thanks everyone who is reading and reviewing this story! I hope you're enjoying it and let me know any comments/thoughts/theories you guys might have!


	5. A Little Unwell

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _ The alarm clock screamed as Minako rolled over and slammed her hand down to shut it off. She groaned as she cracked her eyes open to look at the sunlight starting to stream through her blinds. She would have probably rolled over and gone back to sleep if she knew Ami wasn't coming over before school to check on her. She felt exhausted as she sat up in her bed and stretched out her legs.

She had only gotten an hour of sleep after she had been snapped out of her dream of the Silver Millennium. She shuddered as she remembered the vision Past Rei had been experiencing and how much it had affected them both. She could still hear the painful plea in her head as she held her in her arms; _save me from this darkness._ Minako squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath as she decided to put that part of the memory to the back of her mind.

She got out of bed and winced as she rolled her shoulders while she headed towards the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw dark circles and a pale complexion staring back at her. Minako wasn't feeling too well and she wondered if she was coming down with something. _Ugh, I guess the flashback and monster fight took more out of me than I realized. It's probably just lack of sleep more than anything. _She splashed some cold water on her face and sighed as something caught her eye. She turned her head and looked at the unlit candle on her vanity that Rei had given her as a birthday present last year. She reached out and ran her fingers over the red wax and a smile crept onto her face. _My flame._ She smiled as she thought about the girl from her past and the girl in her present._ Well, I suppose the memory wasn't all bad _she smirked as she turned off the water to her sink. She felt her heart skip a beat as she ran her fingers over her lips at the memory of Rei's kisses and she hoped that one day she would get the chance to feel them again.

_I thought she might kiss me yesterday_. She had been flirting with Rei like she usually did, giving some coy looks and suggestive remarks, when Rei had suddenly been the one to make a move. It had completely shocked Minako in the moment, but she wasn't complaining about it one bit. She remembered how turned on she had been when Rei had stepped in close to button her shirt, and then run her fingers over her skin. As quickly as it happened though, the spell had been broken and Rei had retreated back in to herself.

Minako had felt disappointed, but she was more worried about Rei's feelings. She didn't want her to feel worried or embarrassed about what had happened. _And almost happened. _She wanted to talk to Rei about it soon, but she also didn't want to put any pressure or expectations on her either. _I'm pretty sure I know what she's thinking, but I wish I knew for sure. That empathy link would be handy right about now. _

Minako had never shown any signs of having the Vensuian empathic link since she had been reborn on Earth. She and Artemis had discussed it in detail before, and they couldn't be sure if it had simply not been passed along with the reincarnation, or if it was somehow suppressed. Many things were different in this life though. For instance Princess Serenity had been reborn as Usagi, and now she fought along side the others as Sailor Moon.

Minako pulled her robe on as a chill went through her body. She flexed the fingers in her left hand as they suddenly tingled and was hit with a wave of dizziness. She sat down hard in a chair, feeling wobbly on her feet. She put her head in her hands and took a few deep breaths to get her senses back under control. _I should eat something, probably just low blood sugar. _Once she regained her composure, Minako left her room and headed down stairs to the kitchen.

Her father had already left for work and her mother was making coffee as she gathered her things to leave too. She spotted Minako coming down the steps and pulled out the cereal and milk for her daughter to eat. Minako pulled her robe a little tighter to make sure her mother didn't see the bandages that wrapped around her torso. She had gotten very good at hiding her injuries from her after years of being Sailor V and Sailor Venus.

"Minako honey, would you like any toast with your cereal this morning?"

"No thanks Mom, I think I'll just have some orange juice," she replied.

Minako sat down as her mother poured her cereal and placed it in front of her at the table. She tucked a hair behind Minako's ear and frowned. She cupped her daughter's chin in her hand and looked closer at her face.

"Mina dear, are you sleeping well? You're looking even more tired than usual these days."

Minako bowed her head towards her cereal as she picked up her spoon and avoided her mother's gaze. She felt a wave of anger well up in her. "I'm fine Mom. Jeez, it's probably just because I haven't put on any eye makeup yet," she spat acidly.

She could see her mother purse her lips out of the corner of her eye and turn back towards her briefcase on the counter.

"Well excuse me for caring about my own daughter's health. I guess I was completely out of line," she replied sarcastically.

Minako gritted her teeth so she wouldn't spout off some remark she knew she'd regret in a minute. She felt her temper slowly rising as she tried to not focus on anything but her chewing.

"Also I'm afraid it looks like I won't be able to make your next volleyball game Dear. Mr. Fujimoto is sending me to meet with a major prospect in Beijing and I'll probably be gone all that week. I'll be leaving this afternoon actually on the train for a few days to prep with my team down in Yokohama for our meeting. I'm sorry sweetie."

Minako's temper flared. "What!? That's the fourth time this season you'll have missed a game! This is a really important match, it determines whether we make it into the play-offs or not!" Minako shouted.

Her mother looked at her with a moment of guilt before she assumed a neutral expression.

"I know and I'm sorry. I'll make the next one, I promise." she replied in a business like tone.

"Yeah, whatever," Minako puffed.

There was a knock at the door and she got up from the table to answer. She was still steamed when she opened it and saw Ami smiling at her.

"Good morning Minako!"

"Hey Ami, come on in."

Ami walked in the door and took her shoes off. She looked across the kitchen and gave Minako's mother a small bow as she greeted her.

"Good morning Mrs. Aino. I hope you're doing well today."

"Good morning Ami. Mina told me you would be stopping by to borrow a dress for a party you're going to. Can I offer you anything to eat or drink?"

"No thank you, I've already had breakfast. Minako's being very kind for helping me out such last minute," Ami replied.

"Come on let's go up to my room," Minako mumbled without looking at her mother. She grabbed Ami's arm and steered her towards the stairs.

"Ok well, I'm about to leave. I hope you girls have a good day."

"Bye Mrs. Aino!"

"Yeah, bye mom," Minako grudgingly replied.

She followed Ami up the stairs to her room and felt the anger seep out of her with each step. She had no idea why she had gotten so mad at her mother at breakfast. _She was just trying to see if I was ok…And I'm bummed she can't make my game, but I'm not so upset that I should have snapped at her over it. What's up with me today? _She mulled the morning events over in her head as she walked into her room. She sat down heavily on the edge of her bed as Ami went into the bathroom to pull out the first aid kit to change her bandages. With the anger gone, all she was left with was exhaustion.

"So how are your shoulder and leg doing today?" Ami called from the bathroom.

"Fine I guess. My shoulder is still pretty sore, but my leg feels a lot better. It doesn't hurt when I walk anymore." She replied.

"Good! That's excellent to hear," Ami chirped as she walked over to the bed with the kit. Minako hiked up the bottom of her robe to reveal the bandage on her thigh. Ami gently pulled off the gauze and inspected the burn. Minako peered down at it too and was relieved to see that it was now only a faint pink mark.

"Does it hurt at all?" Ami asked, lightly touching the burn with a gloved hand.

"It's still a bit tender I suppose, but it doesn't hurt all that much. Chalk one up to senshi healing."

"Yes, that is always a definite perk. We'll put some more of the burn salve on, but I think it's fine to go without a bandage. Make sure to put some more on at lunch and tonight before you go to bed. Now let's have a look at the shoulder."

Minako turned away from Ami and pulled her robe off her shoulders revealing her bandaged back.

"Did you get a chance to talk with Artemis last night about the youma attack? Where is he by the way?" Ami asked as she started to undo the bandages around Minako's torso.

"He's at Usagi's with Luna. They split their nights between there and here these days," Minako chuckled. "He was waiting for me here like usual when you guys dropped me off yesterday. He was really worried and didn't want to leave me last night because I was injured, but I convinced him he needed to go talk with Luna about the monster and make a plan."

"Did he have any ideas on what it could be?"

"He has a few theories, but nothing concrete. He and Luna are going to go check out the spot I was attacked at for any clues. He said for you to meet them at Crown after school and help them run some scans on the area."

"Ok that's along the same lines I was thinking as well. I already started configuring my computer last night to search for the energy signature that youmas and the Negaverse normally display and extrapolated it out over a few different wave lengths."

"Uh huh." Minako replied. "My thoughts too!" she lightly joked. She turned her head and shot Ami a half grin. Ami just smiled and shook her head as she usually did with most of Minako's quips. She pulled off the gauze that was covering the shoulder wound. "How's it look?"

Ami was silent for a moment as she inspected the claw marks and the steri- strips holding the cuts together. "Pretty good. Better than yesterday definitely, but judging by the speed the burn has healed, I was expecting the shoulder to be further along than it is." The gashes were still not fully closed and this troubled Ami more than she was saying. Senshi healing normally closed most wounds within a day. She lightly touched the strips with her finger and felt around to the right of the wound. Minako sucked in a hiss of breath as pain erupted underneath Ami's touch. "Ah, ok, that hurts. That hurts." She said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry Minako," Ami apologized. She stopped pressing on Minako's back and moved around to the side so she could see her face. "Does any of this hurt or cause discomfort?" She lightly palpated Minako's bicep and around her upper arm.

"Not pain, but it feels a little weird. Achy I guess? Just uncomfortable, really. It's still hard to move around too," the blonde replied.

"Ok that's a fairly normal occurrence with this kind of thing." Ami assured her. "How about your fingers? Any tingling in your hand?"

Minako flexed her fingers but the early cold was gone. "No, they're fine."

"Ok good. I'm going to place a new gauze bandage over the steri strips and wrap it up. We can take a look at it again tomorrow."

Minako nodded her head and closed her eyes as Ami moved back behind her to start wrapping her up again. She was starting to feel the beginning of a headache coming on. Minako felt so drained and she couldn't figure out why. She sat in silence and hadn't realized Ami had finished until she felt a light shake on her forearm. She opened her eyes to her friend's worried expression.

"Mina, are you feeling alright? You haven't seemed like yourself this morning," Ami asked with concern in her voice.

"Honestly? I feel really run down. I didn't sleep well last night and I haven't really had any energy this morning," Minako replied.  
Ami frowned and put a hand on Minako's forehead. She cupped Minako's chin just like her mother had earlier that morning and looked in her eyes.

"Well, you do feel a little warm and your eyes are a bit glassy. I don't think you should go to school today but stay home and get some rest."

"Yeah…yeah that'd probably be a good idea," Minako yawned. Ami stuck a thermometer in her ear and took her temperature.

"100.2, definitely a small fever. Your wound didn't show any signs of infection so I don't think it's from that thankfully. Probably just all the stress and fatigue catching up with you. I'll give you some medicine for the fever and then you need to go back to bed." Ami concluded.

Minako didn't argue as she climbed under the covers and Ami brought her a glass of water from the bathroom. She took two pills and a big gulp of water.

"Thanks for taking care of me Ami. You always take care of all of us, I just want you to know how special you are," Minako sighed sleepily.

Ami smiled at her and set the glass of water on her nightstand. She pulled out an orange communicator and also set it down by the alarm clock.

"You're sweet Minako. I fixed your communicator for you and I've put it here on the nightstand. If you need anything give one of us a call ok? I'll let Artemis know you're staying home too so he knows to come by and check on you later. Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"No, I think I'm ok."

"Ok, I'm going to head out and meet up with Makoto and Rei to walk to school. I'll make sure to get your assignments for you as well so you can do your homework."

"Oh no, don't do me any favors Ami," Minako teased. Her lips curled a bit when she noticed Ami hadn't mentioned meeting Usagi too. They both knew that was a waste of time in the morning as that girl was late for everything.

"Alright, well take it easy and I hope you feel better soon. You can take two more pills in five hours, ok?"

"Ok"

"Good. I'll show myself out. Bye Minako."

"Bye Ami."

She felt her eye lids start to close as she watched her friend leave her room. Minako pulled the covers up around her neck to try and get warm. The same cold ache that had been in her chest last night after her dreams seemed to have returned, and she wrapped her blanket around herself tightly. Her headache was starting to turn into a dull throb behind her eyes. Her thoughts flitted back to Rei as the medicine started to kick in and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Rei stood on the corner talking to Makoto as they waited for Ami and Minako to meet up. Even though she went to a different school than the other girls, Rei still usually walked most of the way with them in the morning. She was feeling anxious about seeing Minako for many reasons. First and foremost, she was worried about her injuries and wanted to make sure she was doing better today. She hated knowing she was hurt. Second, she wondered how Minako would act towards her after the "moment" they had the day before. Things had happened so fast between them and then she had left so quickly that Rei felt like she had suffered some kind of emotional whiplash. Minako had told her she would be ready to talk whenever she was ready though. The raven-haired beauty let out a long sigh as she decided after school she would swallow her insecurities and finally talk to Minako.

Makoto looked over at Rei when she sighed. "Something bothering you?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just wondering when Ami and Minako are going to get here."

"They should be here soon. We've still got 45 minutes or so before school starts anyway."

"Yeah, I just really want to make sure Minako's doing ok. That shoulder injury was pretty nasty yesterday. I hate that I wasn't there to help her fight that monster. I would have been able to protect her."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. Rei met her eyes and quickly looked away as a spot on her uniform suddenly became very interesting. She realized she sounded way over protective, as they both knew Minako was plenty capable of taking care of herself. Makoto didn't say anything but a small smile crossed her lips as she moved on.

"Speaking of the youma, where do you think it came from? Do you think a new bad guy is in town?"

Rei frowned as she thought about her visions. The dark fog from Minako's description that the monster had left behind troubled her. She couldn't decide if the dark mist from her premonition was an actual prediction or some symbolic representation of a new evil spreading. Either way, she had a bad feeling.

"I'm not sure. I've had some troubling premonitions, but nothing concrete that could link the attack to anyone in particular."

"Premonitions? How long have they been going on?"

"A few days. I get visions of the past and the future all the time though, so it can be hard to determine when something is relevant to the present time."

Makoto nodded as she took in what Rei was saying. While she didn't fully understand how the visions worked, she had known Rei long enough to trust her judgment on the matter. "Do you think we should be worried?"

"I don't know yet, Mako." Rei replied quietly. Silence passed between them, as they were each lost in their own thoughts.

Rei looked up just as Ami was coming around the corner. She smiled and felt her heart leap in her chest but quickly frowned as she saw Minako was not with her. Makoto waved to their friend but shot Rei a puzzled look, as she seemed to be wondering the same thing.

"Hey Ami. Where's Minako? Is she ok?" Rei asked as her friend reached them, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Good morning girls. Minako wasn't feeling well so she's staying home from school today. I checked her injuries and they seem to be healing. The burn on her leg is almost fully recovered, but her shoulder is still on the mend." Ami replied.

"On the mend? What do you mean by that?" Rei asked.

A strained gaze appeared in Ami's eyes as she looked at the two girls. "The slash marks still had not closed yet, which is unusual with our senshi healing. Normally deep wounds like that close over night."

Rei felt her pulse increase as worrying thoughts crept into her mind.

"Should we be concerned?" Makoto asked, voicing Rei's own anxiety.

"I don't think we should be overly worried just yet. It may have just been a harder injury than we realized. Infection can sometimes cause complications, but I saw no sign of any. All kinds of factors can affect the healing process, like stress and fatigue. She told me she hadn't slept well last night. She didn't seem like herself all morning, and I could tell she wasn't feeling well. Turns out she was actually running a small fever. I gave her some medicine and sent her back to bed."

Rei could feel the blood pounding in her ears the whole time Ami was giving her report on Minako's condition. She started to grind her teeth at the thought of Minako being ill. Makoto put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze as they all turned to start walking toward school

"I fixed her communicator and told her to call one of us if she needs anything. I already contacted Artemis on my way here, and he's going to go check on her in a little bit. I'm meeting with the cats after school at Crown to set up some scans of the area for any signs of more youma."

"That's a good idea Ami," Makoto replied. "I've got gardening club after school anyway and Usagi will probably have detention like she usually does for being tardy," she chuckled. "I guess we'll skip meeting at Rei's today since no one's going to be able to go?"

"Yeah that sounds fine," Rei said. She felt a bit of relief as she was already planning on how she was going to ditch everyone to go check on Minako. This way she wouldn't have to come up with an excuse.

The three girls reached the street where Rei had to turn to go to the TA Academy while Makoto and Ami kept going to Juuban High School. "Ok well I'll see you guys later. Make sure you fill Usagi in on what's going on when you see her."

"We will. Have a good day!"

"Yeah see ya later! And don't worry Rei, Minako will be fine," Makoto said, giving her a wink. Rei felt her cheeks go slightly pink at Makoto's words. She said goodbye to her friends and started walking towards her school. A plan was already starting to form in her head about how she was going to get away.

* * *

Artemis hurried down the street as he rounded the corner in front of Minako's house. He knew he should have stayed home last night and not left his charge by herself. Everyone was still asleep in Usagi's room when he had gotten a call from Ami saying Minako was staying home from school with a fever.

"…what? Minako's sick?" Usagi had asked sleepily. He did not have a chance to reply as she screamed and rushed around her room when she looked at the time.

"No, no, no! Oh, I'm going to be late, _again! _Oh, Rei's going to kill me when she finds out…" she wailed as she threw her uniform on and ran out the door. Artemis and Luna just shook their heads as they watched her run out the front.

"Oh that girl…" Luna sighed. She turned to Artemis and nudged him with her nose. "You go and check on Minako. I'll go ahead to headquarters to start setting up the computer for this afternoon."

Artemis nuzzled his head against her cheek and smiled as he left to go to Minako's. Luna always knew what he was thinking without him having to say anything.

He made his way in through the cat door and up the stairs to Minako's room. He saw her lying on her side facing away from the door when he came in. He jumped up on the bed and moved to sit down by her head. She seemed to be asleep, but he got the faintest prickling in his spine that something was slightly off in the room. He couldn't but a finger on it though.

He studied her face closely and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He thought about some of the conversations they had recently about her feelings and memories about Rei. He worried that the old memories were starting to take a toll on her. Artemis remembered how strong the girls' relationship had been in the Silver Millennium, but also hard it was too. Rei had been plagued by the darkness that eventually destroyed the kingdom, and Minako carried as much of the emotional burden as she could for her. He knew she struggled with feelings of failure even though it was not her fault the Moon Kingdom had fallen.

He felt heat radiating off her as he gently placed his paw on her forehead. The rest of her body was wrapped up tight in her blankets. He felt a bit of guilt, as he knew there really wasn't much he could do to make her feel better. _Or help with her situation with Rei_.

There were still several hours before he had to go meet Luna and Ami, so Artemis curled up on the bed by Minako like he had done for so many years. _At least she'll know she's not alone_.

* * *

Rei sat eating lunch under a tree with her school friends outside the TA Academy several hours later. She had been distracted all morning with thoughts of Minako, and she was barely listening to the conversation in front of her right now. She simply nodded and agreed with her friends, Tori and Shelby, when it seemed appropriate and it seemed to be working so far as they failed to notice her lack of participation.

They were two of her very good friends, even though they weren't that close outside of school. This was partially because they both lived on the other side of town, and partially because of Rei's senshi life. She had never really gotten the chance to get too close to anyone outside of the other Sailors Soldiers. Still they had been in school together since grade school, and that definitely counted for something.

As she sat listening to Shelby talk about a fundraiser she was organizing for the Technology Club, Rei was going over the final details of her plan to get out of school early. They still had three periods left after lunch but she figured she'd be a waste for them anyway. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of Minako. She felt a wave of anxiety well up in her chest as she worried about her friend. She looked down at the red communicator she had been fingering idly. It had been silent all morning, which she told herself was a good thing. Still, she'd feel a lot better once she checked on Minako herself.

"Hey guys? I'm not feeling very well, I think I'm going to go see the nurse," Rei told her friends as she stood up.

The two girls stopped talking and looked over at her. "Oh, ok Rei. Do you want us to walk with you?" Tori asked.

"Thanks, but I'll be ok. The bell's about to ring anyway so you don't want to be late."

"Alright, well hope you feel better! We'll see you later."

Rei gave them a small smile, trying to give the best impression of having a stomachache she could muster. She wasn't really the best actress in the world, but she could keep a cool head under pressure. _Which is kind of ironic as I'm about to heat things up. _

In addition to her premonition powers, Rei could induce fluctuations in her body temperature. In her senshi form, she could manipulate fire. She used it most often as attacks, but she had discovered that she still had some slight control over heat in her normal state as well. She couldn't produce fire, but she could raise the temperature of her skin without affecting her normal body functions in the process. Which means she could make it seem like she had a fever, when in reality she felt totally fine.

She stopped by the bathroom on her way to nurse's office to take a quick look at her appearance. _Hmm, don't really look sick enough. _She quickly remembered a glamour technique that Michuru had shown her once. Rei didn't have the ability or control to completely alter her appearance by herself. She'd need a device to channel her power like Usagi and Minako had with their disguise pens to do that. She did however, have enough control to give herself a slightly green look. _Alright! I look disgusting! Should be enough to convince them I might puke any minute._

Rei waltzed out of the bathroom and down the hall to the nurse's office. She kept the glamour up as she walked in and told them she was feeling ill. The nurse sat her down and looked her over with a concerned expression. Rei concentrated on the heat as she reached to take her temperature. _Remember, don't make it too hot. I don't want them to rush me off to the hospital because they think I'm dying. _

"100.2. Well, you definitely have a fever and need to go home for the day Ms. Hino. I'll send a note to your teachers that you are excused from class. Do you need me to call your parents to come get you?"

"No, I can just walk home. I live really close by so I should be fine. It'll take them longer to get here than for me to get home anyway," Rei lied.

The nurse eyed her for a second but she seemed satisfied with her response. Rei exhaled in relief as the nurse turned away and wrote some things down in her file. The fire senshi was thrilled that her plan had actually worked. The nurse gave her a note for her "parents" and sent her out of the office. Rei stopped by her locker to grab her bag and quickly made her way out of the school. She took off at a quick pace in the direction of Minako's house as soon as she was out of site of the gates.

* * *

Minako shifted restlessly and shivered in her sleep. Soft groans escaped her lips and her face was creased as if in pain. She was deaf to Artemis's attempts to wake her, as she was pulled deeper into the depths of her nightmare.

_Minako stood as Sailor Venus in the woods of an unfamiliar area. She looked around but couldn't recognize anything in the pitch black of night. She started walking forward when she heard a chilling voice creep into her mind. _

"_All alone Sailor Venus? What's the Solider of Love doing all by herself out here?" Minako crouched into a defensive stance as she whipped her head around but couldn't see where the voice was coming from.  
"Who are you? Why don't you show yourself instead of hiding?"_

"_Oh I'm not hiding, not anymore. I'm always around. Don't you recognize me?"_

_Minako scanned the area as she tried to think of whom the voice could belong to. She felt a chill running up her spine as the left side of her body started to go cold as she slowly revolved on the spot. _

"_Such a pity that one so beautiful is so alone. Loving someone who won't love you back. Protecting someone who will never be able fulfill their destiny. History always repeats itself Minako. You couldn't save the Silver Millennium and you'll fail again in this life as well. Crystal Tokyo will never become a reality and everyone you care about will die."_

_Minako felt her heart fall to her stomach as the faceless voice said all of her insecurities out loud. She feared that Rei would never love her. She feared that she would not be able to protect Serenity and Crystal Tokyo would fall. She feared failing the people of Earth and not being able to save the future. Just like she had failed the Silver Millennium._

_Her arms dropped to her side and she felt her knees give out. Darkness enveloped her as she slumped to the ground and starred up at the starless sky. She thought she saw a rift in the dark and a black fog creeping towards her. She could feel the coldness spreading from her left side through her chest as dark mist slowly covered her body. She felt no urge to move as she let the darkness come. And that's when she recognized the voice. _

_It was her own._

* * *

Author's note: So some jumping around this chapter. It was really all setting up the next one where Rei shows up to help Minako. Also they'll finally get a chance to talk some things out, so stay tuned!

Thanks everyone who's reading and for all the lovely reviews! You guys are great :)


	6. Candle in the Wind

Rei got off the city bus and started walking down the street to Minako's house. She saw both of her parents' cars where gone and figured they were still at work. She walked the familiar steps to the front door and found the spare key hidden in the potted plant sitting on the front porch. She had been over here so many times Minako had shown her where it was hidden in case she ever needed to get in. Rei opened the door and looked around as she stepped inside. "Minako? It's Rei. Are you down here or upstairs?" she called. There was no reply, but she figured Minako was asleep in her room. Rei left her shoes by the door as she turned the deadbolt back and headed for the stairs.

She knocked twice on the door before she opened it slowly. "Mina? You awake?" she asked softly as she walked into the room. She saw Minako lying on her bed with her covers half thrown off in the floor. She seemed to be still asleep. When Rei entered the room, she instantly felt her senses go on alert. She stopped about a foot into the room and narrowed her eyes as she scanned to see if anything was out of the ordinary. Everything seemed in order, but she couldn't relax as she walked the rest of the way to Minako's bed. Artemis popped his head up from where he had been curled up next to her as she approached them. Rei walked softly across the floor and pulled a chair up next to the bed. She looked at Artemis and noted the worry on his face as she turned her eyes to take in Minako's appearance.

She looked terrible. Her complexion was extremely pale and her bangs were stuck against her forehead from sweat. Her right hand was clenched in her sheets but her left one lay flat by her side. Her eyes were shut like she was sleeping but she looked anything but peaceful. Rei felt like someone was squeezing her heart as she took in the sight of the girl she cared so deeply for feeling so miserable.

She clenched her teeth and exhaled through her nose as she turned to Artemis. She tried to keep her voice even as she softly started talking to him.

"So how's she been doing? She doesn't look so great."

He looked at the sleeping Minako. "I know. I've been here a couple hours and there really hasn't been much change. She was having some kind of nightmare earlier, but it seems to have passed. She's just been sleeping all day really."

"Nightmare? What happened?"

Artemis frowned as he looked over at Minako. "She was whimpering in her sleep and she thrashed around for a bit. That's when she knocked all her covers off. I think it passed pretty quickly though, because after that she lay still and has just been sleeping quietly since."

Rei frowned as she looked back at Minako. She reached her hand over to feel her forehead. She felt hot to the touch and Rei's worry increased. She stood up and went to make a cold compress in the bathroom.

"I'll stay with her if you need to head on out Artemis. Aren't you meeting with Luna and Ami in a little while?"

He nodded as he looked at the clock. She knew he cared for Minako very much and was just as worried as she was. He had been her guardian for many years. "Yeah, I should probably start heading that way. I can't exactly take the bus. You'll call me if anything…happens..." he trailed off.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her." Rei reassured him as she sat back down by the bed. She rubbed the white fur on his head gently with her hand and gave him a small smile as he jumped off the bed and left the room.

Rei turned her attention back to Minako. She smoothed her bangs away from her forehead and lightly ran the back of her hand along her cheek. She put the cold compress on her forehead and dabbed it on her neck. The blonde didn't move or flinch at her touch. She hated seeing Minako sick like this. Her best friend was normally so full of life it was quite distressing to see her so weak and pale.

Minako's spirit was one of the things Rei was most drawn too. She had a tremendous light and strength about her. It shone brightest when Minako was Sailor Venus. Rei had been in awe the first time she had seen the golden senshi, and had never once doubted following her leadership. She brought a steadiness to the team. _It's no wonder she's the one who can wield the Silver Crystal sword with the most ease. _The weapon of the Silver Millennium technically could be used by any of the senshi, but they all knew it was Minako's. It was an object of great power and great light in the fight against evil, despite the weapon's tragic history. Princess Serenity had taken her life on it in their past. Rei asked her once why she still used it when so much sadness clung to it. She remembered her response vividly. _"I'm rewriting its history. This sword is forged from Silver Crystal and strikes fear into any evil that gazes upon it. It will be remembered as the weapon that saved Serenity instead of the one that took her life. I can't let fear and sadness be its legacy. Or ours."_

Rei often carried the weight of the future on her shoulders due to her ability to see premonitions. There was always an opportunity to try changing things and possibly affect the outcome. They always had a chance to save the future. Minako carried the weight of the past. Rei knew she had the most memories intact of any of them and took responsibility for their failure to save the Silver Millennium. She didn't talk about it, but Rei could just tell from the way she acted when it came up. The difference between them was that Rei could lighten her burden if they were able to stop her visions of the future, but Minako would never able to change what happened in the past. And this broke Rei's heart.

She reached for Minako's left hand that was lying on the bed closest to her. Rei instantly dropped her hand when she touched her, recoiling in shock at how cold her hand felt. She was expecting it to be warm, especially with her fever, but it was cold as ice. She quickly reached across to feel her other hand that was balled in a fist, but it felt normal to the touch. Rei checked the rest of Minako's left arm and it was cold all the way up to the bandages. She pulled her robe back and ran her fingers along her collarbone. The chill seemed to be isolated to the left side of her body. Something was definitely wrong. Rei started to reach for her communicator to call for some help when it suddenly clicked in her brain what was going on. She looked at Minako for a split second before she jumped to her feet and ran to the bathroom.

Rei grabbed the candle she knew Minako kept in there as well as a lighter and hurried back to the bed. _I could do this without a flame, but it always works better when I have a fire to focus with._ She kneeled in front of her friend and placed the candle on the nightstand. She lit the wick and closed her eyes as she began to meditate. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing pulse as she opened her mind to her surroundings.

She _knew_ there had been something else in the room when she walked in, but she originally thought it was just her anxiety. Rei reached out around her, as her mind's eye surveyed the room. She focused on Minako in front of her and was horrified by what she saw. When Rei was in her meditative state, other people were recognizable to her by their auras. Minako's was normally a bright golden orange; warm as the sun. When she looked in front of her now, she saw only a dim glow and a darkness that covered the left side of her body. And it was slowly spreading.

_She's been infected with an evil spirit. _

Rei was breathing hard when she opened her eyes, fear having a firm grip on her heart. She took a moment to take a few deep breaths and get her composure back before she acted. She had helped many people infected with evil presences before, both as a priestess and sailor soldier, but this was different. _This is Minako._ She had to get it right.

Rei reached for her school bag and pulled out a white strip of cloth that she could use as an ofuda to purify Minako of the evil spirit. She used ink and a brush from Minako's desk and quickly jotted down the appropriate symbols on the cloth. She stood up with the finished ofuda and narrowed her eyes at the bed. Rei welcomed the fire growing in her chest as feelings of protection and righteousness coursed through her veins. She closed her eyes and held the talisman in front of her forehead as she started the ritual.

"I call upon the Power of Mars. Great Fire, purify this evil from its host. Cause her no harm and return her as she was. Release her soul back to the light. Akuryo Taisan! EVIL SPIRITS, BEGONE!"

The fire in the candle flared brighter as Rei swiftly placed the ofuda on Minako's forehead and stepped back. All was silent for a moment, then Minako's back arched and she screamed out in pain. The candle went out on the nightstand and light was blocked out from the window. Minako sat straight up in bed and snapped her head to the side to look at Rei. The miko held her ground as the possessed girl got out of bed and faced her. Her eyes were pitch black and her face was void of any emotion. A blast of dark energy surged from her body across the room at Rei. She was knocked to the floor with a grunt, but quickly got back to her feet. She stood still for a moment waiting to see if she would be attacked again. When nothing happened, Rei took one step closer.

"Mina? It's Rei. Can you hear me? I know you're in there." She said slowly.

Minako did not make any indication that she understood a word. She had ripped her robe and bandages off and stood naked in front of Rei. Blood was dripping down her arm from her injury. Fear started to creep in, but Rei pushed any insecurity to the back of her mind. She had to be strong for Minako.

She took another step forward. "Minako, I know you're here. You're the strongest, bravest, most loving person I know. There's no way this evil spirit can beat you." She slowly inched her way forward closer to her friend, being careful to make no sudden movements. "I won't let anything happen to you Mina, you're too important to me. I should have told you sooner, about my feelings for you. You bring out a side of myself I never knew I had, never knew I could feel. I felt a connection with you the moment we met. Don't you remember? You were disguised as the Princess to protect her. You were the only one who could pull the Silver Crystal sword from its pedestal. You were the one who killed Beryl. With you, we were finally a complete team. You were the missing piece." She had was only a few feet away from her now.

"It started as friendship between us, but it's grown into so much more. You're who I wake up thinking about in the morning and before I go to sleep. I'm a better person because of you. I've never been able to open up well to people, but I can with you. When I'm with you, I don't feel alone. I can't imagine my life without you in it… I love you, Mina." Tears were threatening to fall from Rei's eyes as she stood in front of Minako. The air was incredibly cold as she reached her hands out to take Minako's arms. As soon as she touched her, a shock went through her body as the spirit in Minako resisted.

Cold energy tried to push her back, but Rei held on. She managed to get her arms around Minako and pulled her into her chest. She closed her eyes as she felt her hair whip around in the cold wind that had begun swirling around the two girls. She felt cut marks sting her cheek and arms as the energy was ripping into her, but still she held on. "Mina, please, it's me Rei." She could feel the evil radiating off of her friend's body. She was terrified she was loosing her. _No, I won't let that happen. _She turned her head so her lips were right next to her ear. "Please Mina. Let me save you from this darkness," she whispered.

All at once the wind stopped. She felt Minako stiffen and then cry out in a high pitched scream as the evil spirit left her body. Rei shut her eyes as the sound tore through her like physical pain, but she refused to release her hold. Rei held Minako tight as she grew quiet and fell limp against her. She quickly lay her back down on the bed behind her and covered her naked body with a sheet. She saw the golden symbol of Venus starting to fade from her forehead, which meant her senshi spirit was in control again. Rei also saw the flame on the nightstand out of the corner of her eye had relit itself.

Rei placed both her hands on the sides of Minako's head, as she anxiously looked her over. "Mina? Please, open your eyes." She pleaded. Several minutes went by but Rei didn't move. Minako's skin was starting to feel warm again under her fingers. After what felt like an eternity, Rei was looking into the blue eyes she loved so much. Minako blinked several times as she tried to focus her eyes. "Rei? What…what happened?" she asked weakly. Rei smiled and let out a half hysterical laugh as she hugged Minako. She felt Minako wrap her arms around her and they held each other for several minutes before they finally broke apart.

"Oh, it's a really long story. How are you feeling?" she asked as she brushed Minako's hair away from her eyes.

"I feel tired, but that's about it I guess. The last thing I remember is when Ami visited me this morning. And then…" she trailed off as she tried to remember the gap in time. Rei offered her a glass of water from her nightstand and Minako took a few small sips before she continued. "I remember a forest. And darkness. Then cold and nothing." She frowned. "I saw a fire off in the distance, but I couldn't move towards it, even though I wanted to. There was dark fog everywhere and a voice in the back of my head telling me everything that I fear the most," she paused as she looked up at Rei for a moment with sadness in her eyes. Rei realized she didn't know what Minako's greatest fear was, and she wondered what it could be. _Serenity being killed? One of us? The Negaverse destroying the world? What is that I see in her eyes?_

Minako took a shaky breath and continued on with her recollection. "Anyway, I was starting to get pulled back into the dark when I heard a new voice coming from the direction of the fire. It was telling me all kinds of encouragement and I could feel warmth again." A ghost of a smile crossed her lips. She sat in silence for a moment before she snapped her eyes back to Rei. "Wait, the new voice, it was you wasn't it?"

Rei smiled as she nodded her head. It all made perfect sense to her now. "You were infected with an evil spirit. It had to be from the youma attack yesterday. The darkness was spreading from your left side which is where you were hurt. You must have passed through its essence without realizing it, and the spirit took advantage of your weakened defense from the injury. That's why your shoulder didn't heal properly. It turns out it _was_ an infection. Not physical but spiritual. I felt something in the room when I walked in but I didn't realize it was the evil spirit until I was closer to you."

Minako lay her head back on her pillow as she let this new information soak in. She reached her hand up and brushed her thumb over Rei's cheek. The fire senshi felt a flutter in her stomach at her touch. "These cuts, are they from, me?" Minako asked with a pained expression. Rei grabbed her hand and her violet eyes burned as she looked at Minako. "No. It was not from you. It was the youma spirit." She said firmly. "Don't worry about it, they don't hurt. I'll be good as new by tomorrow." Minako's eyes looked away and Rei knew she was feeling guilty. _She shouldn't. _

"Hey," she said gently as she placed her hand on the side of Minako's cheek. She could feel the heat building in her chest as she leaned closer. "I would do anything in my power to bring you back. Every. Time. If it meant walking to hell and back, I would do it in a heartbeat. I wouldn't even blink. You're the most important person in the world to me, Mina. I love you." Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she bore her soul to the girl in front of her. It felt like the most right thing she had ever done in her entire life. She was only inches from the other girl's face now. Minako had tears forming in her eyes, but the weren't from sadness.

"Oh Rei, I've loved you for so long. When I first met you, I thought you were the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I still think you are. Sometimes it scared me how much I cared for you. I was terrified you could never love me back."

Rei shook her head. "It may have taken me a while, but I'm here now. And I'm not planning on going anywhere." She closed the distance between them as she shut her eyes and pressed her lips against hers.

Minako's lips were soft and warm as she returned the kiss. Rei had only been kissed a few times in her life, but none of them ever felt like this. Her entire body was awakening to the sensations. Heat was traveling from her chest down her frame as she let herself be lost in the hunger. She shifted her weight so she was laying mostly on top of Minako as she felt a magnetism in her body to be closer to her. Minako wound her fingers into Rei's hair and around her neck as she pulled Rei's body down on hers. Rei moved her hand up Minako's cheek and felt wetness on her face. She opened her eyes and pulled back an inch to look at her face. Tears were falling, but Minako was smiling. Rei wiped the tears away gently and kissed each cheek softly where they had fallen. She buried her head against the crook of Minako's neck and inhaled her scent. "This feels so right" she sighed.

"And so familiar." Minako added.

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

"Have you ever had any dreams or visions of the Silver Millennium? Any that involved us? When I came to realize I had feelings for you, they began for me. They started out small, little glances we had shared or secret kisses. But they grew more intense as the feelings have grown. Last night, I had a really powerful one between us. We were actually in this same position at one point, except I was the one on top and nestled in against your neck." Rei sighed as she tried to picture the memory Minako was describing to her.

"And I had clothes on. Why am I naked by the way?"

Rei sprang off Minako so fast you would have thought she had been burned. Her face turned a deep scarlet, as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked straight up at the ceiling. She had forgotten that Minako wasn't wearing any clothes under the sheets. "Um, you ripped them off when you went all exorcist on me earlier," she said not meeting the blonde's eyes. Minako started laughing at Rei's reaction. "Hey come on! It's not like you haven't seen me without my clothes on before…" she said with a sly smile.

"Yeah, but that was before, ya know, I proclaimed my love for you and all…" she mumbled back.

A grin stayed on Minako's lips as she stopped teasing and grabbed Rei's hand and kissed her knuckles. She held it against her cheek as she took in how adorable Rei was at this moment in her shyness. "Yes, you're right." She said gently. "Hand me some pajamas and I'll make myself decent again. They're over there in the top drawer of my dresser."

Rei stood up and graciously walked to grab her some clothes. She handed the top and bottoms to Minako and sat on the opposite end of the bed. Minako smiled as she took the clothes and pulled the pants on. Rei looked away as Minako stood up but watched her out of the corner of her eye. Part of her wanted to catch another glimpse at the blonde's beautiful body, but mostly she wanted to make sure she was ok. Minako had been through a lot the last 24 hours and Rei knew she would still need a few more days to fully recover. Minako stood up gingerly as she got to her feet and seemed a little shaky. She finished pulling her pajama bottoms up all the way and quickly sat down, feeling a bit woozy. She turned her back to Rei as she started to pull her shirt on.

"Wait a second before you do that. Let me look at your shoulder first." Rei said from behind her. She slid across the bed behind Minako and looked at her bare back. The wounds seemed to have finally closed but they were still red. Rei suspected that when the youma spirit had been expelled from her body, the senshi healing had kicked in full gear. She ran her finger lightly over the area around the marks. "Does that hurt at all?" she asked gently.

"Not really. Just a bit tender"

Rei ran her fingers over the rest of Minako's back as she took in the sight of her bare skin. She had seen her so many times before, but today it was like she was _really _seeing her for the first time. Minako was quiet as Rei lightly trailed her fingertips all over her skin. She scooted closer to Minako and gathered all of her blonde hair over the front of one of her shoulders. She leaned forward and lightly kissed her uninjured shoulder. She ran her fingers up Minako's spine and felt her shiver under her touch. "You ok? I didn't hurt you did I?" she asked as she placed a another kiss on her back. "Mmmm, no not at all" Minako cooed in front of her. Rei smiled as she nuzzled her nose in small circles along Minako's shoulder blade. "Good". She placed her hands along the small of her back and ran them horizontally around Minako's sides and over her stomach. She joined her hands over her naval and pulled her gently back against her, resting her chin on her right shoulder. Minako sank back into Rei's embrace and let her hold her for a long time. They both sat in silence enjoying the closeness and love between them.

After a while, Minako leaned forward out of Rei's arms and finished putting her pajama top on. She turned to face the raven-haired beauty on her bed and put both her arms around her neck and leaned in for a soft kiss. "Ya know, you can spend the night if you'd like. My mom's out of town for a few days and my dad probably won't be home until late from work. Nothing has to happen, we can just keep doing this and cuddle all night." She said as she leaned in for another kiss. "Besides, I shouldn't be alone in my delicate condition and all." She sighed as she lay back on the bed dramatically with her hand on her forehead as if she was having a fainting spell in some old time movie.

Rei snorted at Minako's theatrics. "Well, I _suppose_ I could be convinced to stay. After all we both know you can't take care of yourself on a good day, let alone in your 'delicate' condition," she laughed. Minako sighed as she threw her hand up on her forehead again. "Oh thank, you madam! Thank you! You will protect me from all the savage wolves that roam theses desolate streets at night." Rei shook her head as she leaned forward to kiss Minako. The blonde giggled as she pulled her closer and threw her hands around her neck. "I'm glad you're staying Rei. It means a lot to me," she whispered. Rei smiled as she pulled back and looked at Minako. "It means a lot to me too. I love you."

"And I love you. I think I always have."

Rei smiled as she looked at the girl she held in her arms. So much had happened in only twenty-four hours she could hardly wrap her head around it all. They still had so much to talk about, but for now she was happy to just be in the moment. Minako sighed and leaned her head back against her pillow, keeping one arm around Rei. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open as the exhaustion from the day's events were catching up to her again.

Rei put her hand on Minako's forehead and still felt the faint trace of a fever. It was much better than earlier, but she still needed rest for her body to fully recover. She leaned forward and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled close to Minako. It was still early in the afternoon so she figured they could sleep for a while before she woke up to make dinner. She also had to remember to put in a call to Artemis and the others so they would know not to worry anymore. Minako settled comfortably into Rei's arms as she finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_Author's Note:_ Ok! So we finally have a full explanation about what was going on with Mina. Basically she did in fact touch some of that fog the monster turned into by accident but she had no way to protect herself from it. Now they know what they're up against. At least some what anyway. I hope it wasn't all that confusing. Leave me a comment and I can try and clarify anything if you have a question.

I thought Rei's reaction when she remembered Minako was in the nude would be really funny and go along with her inexperience in that type of situation. I don't want their relationship to feel rushed at all, especially because it's so new! Well, in their present life anyway. They still have lots to talk about and things to define in their relationship. Plenty of fluff and steam planned for upcoming chapters, so you can all look forward to that :)

As always, thank you for reading and hope you are enjoying the story! Leave a review if you would like, and I'll try and update again soon!


End file.
